Grenouer is a Russian rock and metal band, formed in late 1992 in Perm. Their name is an intentional misspelling of grimoire, a magic textbook.
History
In their early days Grenouer played death metal and used Russian lyrics. Their debut full length Border of Misty Times saw light in 1997; the band switched here to English lyrics. In the years to come, enjoying the cult following, Grenouer played an important role in the formation of the Russian underground extreme metal scene and are regarded as one of the headstones of death metal in Russia along with Merlin, Mortem, Graveside and Scrambled Defuncts. The debut was followed by other albums, released in Russia by labels like Irond, More Hate, Blacksmith Productions, Metallism developing death metal approach. The third album The Odour O' Folly included a heavy cover version of A-Ha's "Take On Me". The fourth album Presence With War lyrically dealt with the Iraq-related war issues; its frontcover was made by Mickmo, an American creator of comic books. Grenouer "is the most impressive metal statement from an unlikely source," Steve Beebee wrote in 2009, reviewing the album for Kerrang! and giving it a 4K-rating.
In the mid-2000s Grenouer’s music began to change dramatically and at the same period musicians also relocated to Saint Petersburg. Preference was given to hardcore, math metal and even progressive rock sound. The fifth album Try was released worldwide in Great Britain by Casket Music, that was a flow of fresh air from the band yet some fans of brutal death metal felt as if Grenouer was betraying ideals. If fact they were just pioneering the genre that today has the term djent. This did not stop musicians from further experiments and the next album Lifelong Days was recorded with the platinum selling Finnish producer Anssi Kippo at the Astia Studios. Released by the Spanish label Locomotive Records it strengthened Grenouer’s rummage for merging extreme metal with rock riffing. "Unforgiving to the end, this is metal at its most genuinely ferocious," Kerrang!s Ryan Bird wrote of Presence With War in another 4K-rating review. Grenouer is touring inside and outside Russia and participating in big open air festivals. Grenouer could be seen sharing the same stage with Testament, Pro Pain, Textures, TesseracT, Anathema, Cradle of Filth, Entombed, Napalm Death, All Shall Perish, Behemoth, Cephalic Carnage, Despised Icon, Hate, Neurosis, Pain, Primordial, Soilwork, Sworn Enemy, The Berzerker, Tiamat, Trail of Tears, Warbringer and many others. Grenouer's seventh album Blood on the Face was released worldwide in 2013 - Europe: May 3, 2013, North AmericaJuly 9, 2013 through Mausoleum Records. It was recorded with different producers – Finnish Anssi Kippo, at the Astia Studios and Italians Dualized and Eddy Cavazza, at dysFUNCTION Productions. Dualized made mixing at Zeta Factory Studios and afterwards the material got mastered at the Finnvox Studio by Mika Jussila. The sound of the album has nothing to do with extreme metal, it is modern rock and alternative metal. Grenouer's songs are featured on various compilations including "Adrenaline 2: Rush Hour", a soundtrack to computer game.
Controversy
Never being a connoisseur of Satanic ideas and having either mystical, psychological or social implications Grenouer for some reason were officially anathematized by the Head of Russian Orthodox church. Besides, the band had troubles with the local authorities; in 1995 and 1996 their live shows in Perm were interrupted by special police forces applying batons and tear gas against fans and initiating disorders. In 2004 the Mayor of Kemerovo banned Grenouer's concert the very same day they arrived at the city, allegedly for the advocacy of violence.
